A domestic pig - Source http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://imagecache6.a
Domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) is one type of pig from the Suidae group (pig group) and hippopotamus are one of similar family. There appearance is truly much similar to its ancestor “Wild Boar”. They were originated from Africa, Europe and Asia. The domestic pigs are usually severely fat. They are medium-sized mammals which its body can weigh from 77 to 770 pounds. Pigs are usually 34 to 83 inches in length. They tend to have a large head, long cone-shaped snout, long ears, small eyes, short legs, short neck and an overweighing body. Their skin is usually thick and tough and they have really short hair. At some case, the domestic pigs could weigh twice as heavier than a Wild Boar.
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Artiodactyla
Family
Suidae
Genus
Sus
Species
S.scrofa
Subspecies
S.s. domestica
Diagram
Features of domestic pig- source- http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://t
Habitat
Domestic pigs are normally located in Africa, Asia and Europe. However, they are normally found worldwide now because they are imported everywhere for food, or either for breeding uses. In the modern days domestic pigs are acquired by farmers who would keep them in a pig barn with a large outdoor yard.
In the modern days we see domestic pigs which are usually in a pig farm. However, some pigs have either escaped or were allowed to forge in the wild. In this modern world we see huge amount of domestic pigs in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and other areas where pigs are not native because of this issue.
Domestic pigs are generally from the wild. They were first found by the Europeans and they would usually stay in a large group. Their main habitats are woods, forests and places that they can hunt for food. Pigs are animals who must keep dry, stay warm in winter and staying cool in summer. For them, staying in a pig farm is the best because usually pig farms acquire all the pigs’ needs.
However, they were originated from the forests and woods.
Before the pigs being domesticated, they had some habits like rolling in mud to keep them dry and staying under a tree to keep cool in summer.
The wild domestic pigs, which means before becoming domestic. They could live in altitudes of up to 13,000 feet. However pigs are very sensitive. They would choose their own habitats according to the availability of food, predator, animals that hunt pigs for food (tiger), weather conditions and population. Weather conditions are very important for pigs because they do not have the sweat glands to cool the body.
Domestic pigs are omnivores just like the wolf. Therefore, they eat both plants and animals. They are one of those animals who would maintain its survival rate very high. They can eat all sorts of food, like dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, tree bark and also garbage. They will never run out of food, and will probably be the no.1 least concern animal.
In conclusion, domestic pigs are both adaptable to both pig farms and in the wild.
Once you think of pigs, you think they are just lazy and useless. However, they have this excellent sense of smell through their snouts. Their sense of smell is so outstanding that they could smell what’s inside the trees or things inside the mud. Domestic pigs are one of those animals who adapts to wild. Therefore, they need this excellent sense of smell. Through this sense of smell, they are able to dig up warms or rooting trees finding vegetation. The fact that they can smell well is really helpful for them because they can locate food anywhere. One downside of a pig however is that they would make crops destroyed.
One environmental pressure which would have made the domestic pig gain this excellent sense of smell could have been their bad eye sight. In daily life, pigs have a very bad eye sight. Therefore, they would have developed this great sense of smell through discomfort of their eyesight.
The domestic pigs have a really unique toe which belongs to the genus of even toed ungulates. They are called the hooves, there are two front toes which are larger and its more solid than land. When the domestic pigs are in the wild they tend to go to those muddy and soft areas. In these conditions, it would really help the pig because it allows the pig to control its weight and prevents them from sinking.
One of the extinction pressure that would have caused them to have these kind of hooves would be them stepping on hard surface and usually stepping mud surface or sinking surface. It allowed them to control their body weight better.
Behavioral adaptation 1
Telling the weather
Domestic pigs have lots of special abilities, they are very intelligent and are very sensitive to climate changes. Farmers say they will be able to tell a weather before a weather forecast does. 2 days before a storm, the pigs will start acting mad. They would also start digging lots of dirt. Before the storm starts they would immediately dig through the piles they have dug and hide their till the bad weather is over. It’s a really good and helpful behavior for them to have because they wouldn’t have much problems caused by weather.
One of the extinction pressures that could have caused the pigs to behave this way would probably be the fact that they don’t like to go through this kind of bad weather and they do not like it.
Behavioral adaptation 2
Mating
The domestic pigs usually likes to mate, the males’ pigs usually breed with lots of different females each season. Pigs tend to produce a courtship behavior which means it includes calling and chasing. For pigs, pregnancy usually lasts for 100 to 175 days, during this time there will be a nest created by the female through vegetation. The female pigs usually give birth to 12 piglets. Once the piglet is born the piglet would drink the mother’s milk 20 times a day. The male domestic boars are helping the Suidae family (pig) breed so that they can maintain their family.
The environmental pressure in this case is obvious, it’s that they have to pass on to their next generation and keep passing the genetics. So that it won’t extinct.
Physiological adaptation
Warm blooded animals
Domestic pigs are one of those animals that are considered to be in the mammal group. This shows that they are a type of warm-blooded animal. The domestic could keep the internal body temperature warm and just like all the other warm- blooded animals, they are required to eat lots of food to convert the food to warmth. If an animal is warm blooded, they self generate the heat and helps it to keep warm and maintain themselves in winter. Being able to be a warm blooded animal the domestic pig can actually go hunt for food or searching for vegetation even in cold weather.
The environmental pressure that would have caused the domestic pig to warm blooded animal was the need for the animal to keep warm and to enhance a better stamina. So this way they are able to hunt for preys longer and they wouldn’t starve during the winter.
Future animal
MODERN ANIMAL: Domestic Pigs
Domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) is one type of pig from the Suidae group (pig group) and hippopotamus are one of similar family. There appearance is truly much similar to its ancestor “Wild Boar”. They were originated from Africa, Europe and Asia. The domestic pigs are usually severely fat. They are medium-sized mammals which its body can weigh from 77 to 770 pounds. Pigs are usually 34 to 83 inches in length. They tend to have a large head, long cone-shaped snout, long ears, small eyes, short legs, short neck and an overweighing body. Their skin is usually thick and tough and they have really short hair. At some case, the domestic pigs could weigh twice as heavier than a Wild Boar.
Taxonomy
Diagram
Habitat
Domestic pigs are normally located in Africa, Asia and Europe. However, they are normally found worldwide now because they are imported everywhere for food, or either for breeding uses. In the modern days domestic pigs are acquired by farmers who would keep them in a pig barn with a large outdoor yard.
In the modern days we see domestic pigs which are usually in a pig farm. However, some pigs have either escaped or were allowed to forge in the wild. In this modern world we see huge amount of domestic pigs in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and other areas where pigs are not native because of this issue.
Domestic pigs are generally from the wild. They were first found by the Europeans and they would usually stay in a large group. Their main habitats are woods, forests and places that they can hunt for food. Pigs are animals who must keep dry, stay warm in winter and staying cool in summer. For them, staying in a pig farm is the best because usually pig farms acquire all the pigs’ needs.
However, they were originated from the forests and woods.
Before the pigs being domesticated, they had some habits like rolling in mud to keep them dry and staying under a tree to keep cool in summer.
The wild domestic pigs, which means before becoming domestic. They could live in altitudes of up to 13,000 feet. However pigs are very sensitive. They would choose their own habitats according to the availability of food, predator, animals that hunt pigs for food (tiger), weather conditions and population. Weather conditions are very important for pigs because they do not have the sweat glands to cool the body.
Domestic pigs are omnivores just like the wolf. Therefore, they eat both plants and animals. They are one of those animals who would maintain its survival rate very high. They can eat all sorts of food, like dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, tree bark and also garbage. They will never run out of food, and will probably be the no.1 least concern animal.
In conclusion, domestic pigs are both adaptable to both pig farms and in the wild.
Structural adaptation 1
Snouts -
Once you think of pigs, you think they are just lazy and useless. However, they have this excellent sense of smell through their snouts. Their sense of smell is so outstanding that they could smell what’s inside the trees or things inside the mud. Domestic pigs are one of those animals who adapts to wild. Therefore, they need this excellent sense of smell. Through this sense of smell, they are able to dig up warms or rooting trees finding vegetation. The fact that they can smell well is really helpful for them because they can locate food anywhere. One downside of a pig however is that they would make crops destroyed.
One environmental pressure which would have made the domestic pig gain this excellent sense of smell could have been their bad eye sight. In daily life, pigs have a very bad eye sight. Therefore, they would have developed this great sense of smell through discomfort of their eyesight.
Structural adaptation 2
Hooves -
The domestic pigs have a really unique toe which belongs to the genus of even toed ungulates. They are called the hooves, there are two front toes which are larger and its more solid than land. When the domestic pigs are in the wild they tend to go to those muddy and soft areas. In these conditions, it would really help the pig because it allows the pig to control its weight and prevents them from sinking.
One of the extinction pressure that would have caused them to have these kind of hooves would be them stepping on hard surface and usually stepping mud surface or sinking surface. It allowed them to control their body weight better.
Behavioral adaptation 1
Telling the weather
Domestic pigs have lots of special abilities, they are very intelligent and are very sensitive to climate changes. Farmers say they will be able to tell a weather before a weather forecast does. 2 days before a storm, the pigs will start acting mad. They would also start digging lots of dirt. Before the storm starts they would immediately dig through the piles they have dug and hide their till the bad weather is over. It’s a really good and helpful behavior for them to have because they wouldn’t have much problems caused by weather.
One of the extinction pressures that could have caused the pigs to behave this way would probably be the fact that they don’t like to go through this kind of bad weather and they do not like it.
Behavioral adaptation 2
Mating
The domestic pigs usually likes to mate, the males’ pigs usually breed with lots of different females each season. Pigs tend to produce a courtship behavior which means it includes calling and chasing. For pigs, pregnancy usually lasts for 100 to 175 days, during this time there will be a nest created by the female through vegetation. The female pigs usually give birth to 12 piglets. Once the piglet is born the piglet would drink the mother’s milk 20 times a day. The male domestic boars are helping the Suidae family (pig) breed so that they can maintain their family.
The environmental pressure in this case is obvious, it’s that they have to pass on to their next generation and keep passing the genetics. So that it won’t extinct.
Physiological adaptation
Warm blooded animals
Domestic pigs are one of those animals that are considered to be in the mammal group. This shows that they are a type of warm-blooded animal. The domestic could keep the internal body temperature warm and just like all the other warm- blooded animals, they are required to eat lots of food to convert the food to warmth. If an animal is warm blooded, they self generate the heat and helps it to keep warm and maintain themselves in winter. Being able to be a warm blooded animal the domestic pig can actually go hunt for food or searching for vegetation even in cold weather.
The environmental pressure that would have caused the domestic pig to warm blooded animal was the need for the animal to keep warm and to enhance a better stamina. So this way they are able to hunt for preys longer and they wouldn’t starve during the winter.
Bibliography
The domestic pig. (2006). Domestic pigs. Retrieved on 11th July, 2010 from
http://www.santharia.com/bestiary/pig_domestic.htm
Species of pigs. (2008). Habitat of domestic pigs. Retrieved on 11th July, 2010 from
http://science.jrank.org/pages/5229/Pigs.html
Wikipedia. (2010). Pigs. Retrieved on 11th July, 2010 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_pig#As_pets
Animal pictures. (2005). Retrieved on 12th July, 2010 from
http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?tid=3&did=27254&lang=kr
Kid cyber. (2010). Retrieved on 15th July, 2010 from
http://kidcyber.com.au/